Plowden Report and the Warnock Report on Education - Essay Example

Plowden Report and the Warnock Report al affiliation Plowden Report and the Warnock Report 0. Introduction In the recentyears, there has been the need to transform education at all levels, elementary, primary, secondary and technical schools. In regard to these changes, there has been the need to change the existing curriculum to incorporate all the changes in the new educational system. Various reports have been created by a group of committees in an attempt to modify the curriculum. Primary education has over the years been seen to require massive changes that would in turn value the achievements and appreciate the strong points and weaknesses of the system. Institutions that offer education are influenced by changes that take place around it, political, social, societal or religious. Claiming that educational institutions are static is a mere understatement. As the years progress, learners require the skills to study and grasp skills that would enable them adapt to the changing and ever demanding technology. Since education is the major way in which individuals can acquire skills, it is a high time that stakeholders in the educational system embrace the culture of change so that the beneficiaries can fit in the contemporary society. This case study will highlight the Plowden and the Warnock reports and their impacts on teaching and learning in relation to the early years and the primary school curriculum. 1.1. Body 1.1.1. Plowden Report 1.1.1.1 Historical Background and recommendations of the Plowden Report The birth of the Plowden Report traces its roots to the early 1960s when the then Minister of Education, Plowden Boyle made a decree that changes have to be put in the Primary Education sector. He ordered changes to be implemented in all aspects of the curriculum in order to allow a smooth transition of Primary schools to secondary schools. It is in respect to the orders given by the Minister that the Central Advisory Council for Education was requested to make changes to the curriculum. The then Chairman of the Council, Mr. Plowden Bridget, was left under the chairmanship of the Council and given the mandate to see to it that changes are implemented in the education sector. It is during the Chairmanship of Mr. Plowden that the Council of Education presented its report, which came to be known as the Plowden Report to the Secretary of Education, Mr. Anthony Crosland. This marked the birth of the changes and many more that were to come in the educational sector specifically, the Primary level. Anning (2008) indicates that before the implementation of the Plowden Report, there was no other attempt to improve Primary Education in the United Kingdom. With the able membership of the Committee, the Plowden Report was bound to come up with a comprehensive report that would cater for the needs of all the primary school children. The Plowden Report advocated for diverse changes to be incorporated into the educational system in an attempt to improve Primary School Education. According to Plowden (2008), the report aimed at offloading Primary School Education strains that impacted negatively on the children. Some of the key recommendations made by the Plowden committee include: Reduction of the sizes of the classrooms that were previously extremely large and could not offer ample position for mastery of concepts by the learners. The classes ended up being too large that the tutors could not handle the pressure from all the learners leading to poor teaching and learning of concepts. Restructuring lessons to allow for individual mastery of concepts either through group work or individual assessments so long as the concepts in the curriculum are grasped by all learners in that particular level. The report also advocated for the inclusion of more teachers into the system. With a shortage of teachers, Plowden (2008) indicates that it would be extremely difficult to handle the growing demand of teaching services by the growing number of students in the Primary schools. According to Anning (2008) the major role of education is to inculcate changes in the lives of individuals in school settings. Learning must be organized in a creative and fashionable manner that would allow for easy grasping of content by learners at the level of primary education. Though, some analysts argue that the Plowden Report did not incorporate the practical aspect of education. From the above concepts, it is evident that this report had a mission of refurbishing primary education. This report presents facts that were directed towards enhancing learning by the students through the provision of an opportunity to master concepts by the learners. However, it is important to highlight the oppositions made by the then Government, that the Plowden Report was only focusing on challenging the educational system. The main concern of this essay, all in all, is to highlight the changes and problems highlighted by the Plowden Committee. 1.1.1.2. Impact of the Plowden Report on the School Curriculum The Plowden report was responsible for careful assessment of the Primary School children needs and structuring the best policies that would suit their needs to the creation of holistic education. The days of school attendance were made flexible thanks to the report in such a way that it would suit the needs of the Primary School children. The teachers, on the other hand, had the opportunity to acquire novel training especially in terms of technological advances. This in turn, would enable them teach the Primary school children in an easier way unlike before whereby shortage of teachers was prevalent in almost all Primary schools. Thanks to the Plowden report, the child was made the axis of all educational systems; all other issue came in after the child had access to proper education. The teachers were also given the mandate of managing what is taught in the curriculum, through consultations while devising the curriculum, setting up goals and objectives of the educational system both short term and long term. Thomas (2000) indicates that the Plowden Report aimed at ensuring that there is a great link between education and society in such a manner that the concepts taught in school are related to the real life situations in the world. The Plowden report attempted to offer a decent form of education to the children who at first seemed to have nothing to fight for in life. However, analysts argue that it is only a child who is willing to learn that would survive in the Plowden era. All other children who were complacent with simple education would automatically have an extremely difficult time handling the situation in the society at that time. In fact, they claim that such students would be reduced into conducting simple jobs that would have no meaning at all in the society. The teaching curriculum remained standardized with subjects like Religion, History and Geography as part of the curriculum. To match with the day to day living, subjects like Technology were included in the curriculum. This report gave new meaning to Primary school education; that was way beyond rote memorization of concepts but internalization of concepts that would lead to productivity in the learners. Ability to internalize facts and concepts by the learners is a major characteristic of the Plowden Primary school children. 1.1.2. Warnock Report The Warnock report was developed by a former primary head teacher, Warnock that had a great interest in Special education. This report mainly focused on the need for education to cater for the needs of children- age, capability and propensity. By 1944, it had dawned on the government that there was a dire need to have a system of education that would incorporate all kinds of learners including the vulnerable learners who had special needs. Among such needy students include the blind and the exceptional children, who had difficulties in grasping concepts taught in class. By 1974, the Warnock Report was published in an endeavor to highlight the pleas of children with special needs in the educational sector. This report conducted a research that concluded that about 30% of children in a majority of schools have special needs. According to the National Council for Special Education (2008) out of the 30% about 2% required special attention if learning had to take place in their school life. It is in light to this argument that the Warnock report presented the idea that learners with special needs have to be incorporated into the learning system. Ultimately, successful completion of primary education would be achieved. By the early nineteen eighties, an educational act was passed that attempted to assess the learners with special needs as well as incorporate them into the system. A decree was passed that all schools that have learners with special needs had to follow a certain rule book. This decree would be responsible for fighting for learners with special needs in the school system. In 1996, the code of operation of schools with such learners was clearly indicated, and the major stakeholders in the educational sector had to conform to the values of the society. 1.1.1.2. Impact of the Warnock Report Thanks to the committees held to compile the Warnock Report, constant consultations between the government and schools were evident in 1994, when the report was put into practice. The health care system was brought into the picture, societal services as well as charitable institutions that would assist in the provision of holistic education for learners with special needs. The Warnock Report incorporated parents in making crucial decisions about their children’s education. Parents had a right to inquire on the government’s initiative towards making education a success for their ‘supposedly’ disabled children. A tribunal- Special Educational Needs Tribunal- was instituted to assist in enlightening the parents on the requirements of appealing, just in case they felt that their rights were infringed by the government. The Warnock report made a great impact in the improving of education through amending the existing laws to suit the needs of many children with special needs. Warnock (2009) argues that the Warnock made a tremendous step towards improving education for children. She continues to argue that the report would not come at a better time than the exact time it was implemented. Learners with special needs would now be incorporated into the mainstream schools with no fear of bias or frustrations by the educational system. Learners with special needs were given the opportunity to learn like other normal children. This would reduce the chances of discrimination in the schooling system as well as fighting for job opportunities in the future. In short, the Warnock report aimed at making the special needs children learn in a normal society and if possible, acquire all the skills necessary of a child of that age. The committee worked with the notion that disability is indeed not inability, at least for young children who had a brighter future other than disability issues in their life. 1.1.1.3. Main provisions of Warnock report According to the National Council for Special Education (2008) Warnock report is one of the most memorable reports in the history of education in the United Kingdom. The report may be summarized as: Inclusion of all children despite their physical characteristics Provision of specialist schools to improve the educational sector, in mind the children with disabilities Elimination of segregation and bullying of the children with special needs in the mainstream schools Schools should be designed in such a way that it meets the demands of all learners despite their background From the above, it is evident that inclusion of all students into the curriculum was the major idea of the Warnock Report. According to Warnock, she believed that inclusion is the best idea that can incorporate all learners in a school setting without any form of discrimination. She claims, that, at the level of primary schools, it is easier to handle the situation rather than in other institutions of learning. Warnock believes that the children, who many people believe cannot be of use to the society end up being the best and most useful. Warnock argues that if special equipment is installed in the classroom to facilitate learning, Warnock sees no need to force learners with special needs learn in their own schools (Warnock 2009). She argues that the government must ensure that all learners have a chance to exploit their potential to the fullest. This would be possible through giving them an opportunity to learn without problems that can be solved under discussions. As a result of the Warnock report, the government undertook initiatives of training of teachers and disbursing more funds to be dedicated to the educational system of children with special needs. Anning (2008) indicates that denial of the children a right to learn and live a happy life is a miscarriage of justice to these children. Deprivation of the children, a right to learn means deprivation of the society potential to develop in the future. He indicates that a state characterized by failure in terms of education is a failed state. He quotes that, ‘all learners have special needs, and the bright ones are as well special. Physical disability needs not be a factor that would discriminate such learners in the educational system’. It is, therefore, the responsibility of all teachers to ensure that learners with disabilities live a successful and productive life. Bullying must be prevented by the school administration as has been documented among the major barriers of successful inclusion of learners with special needs in the school system. In as much, all learners may be controlled in a way that physical molestations would not be present, emotional stability is exceptionally important in the learning process. Conclusively, the Warnock report worked on the basis, that for education to be improved, the school system has to be restructured so as inclusive learning can take place. Students must be given a statement that would allow them enter into a certain school and access to quality education. Special needs of learners have to be catered to through elimination of all forms of incongruity that segregate learners. School resources have to be distributed in an equal and equitable so as the special learners may have access to learning material and feel comfortable in the classroom setting. 1.2. Conclusion From the above discussion, education has changed in a great manner over the years. Thanks to the Plowden and Warnock reports, education has had a new meaning in the life of individuals. It is evident that learning needs to take place in an environment that incorporates all learners despite their backgrounds or challenges. In this line of argument, the two reports explain that the school has to be structured in a way that the school curriculum may be internalized by all learners. These reports are, therefore, credited for the birth of a new regime of education in primary school education. In as, much there were numerous arguments on the validity of the two reports, what is vivid is the fact that foundations on major developments in education had their foundations in the Plowden and Warnock committees. The contemporary educational system in the U.K. has experienced major revolutions that may be credited to such reports on reforms in education. 1.3. Bibliography Anning, A, 2008, Appropriateness or effectiveness in the early childhood curriculum in the UK: Some research evidence. International Journal of Early Years Education, 6(3), 299-314. National Council for Special Education, 2008, The Warnock report: discussing its contents and context, U.K, National Council for Special Education. Plowden, C, 2008, The Plowden report: a translation. Australian Journal of Public Administration Volume 22, Issue 2, pages 155–163, June 2008. Thomas, N, 2000, Primary education from Plowden to the 1990s.NewYork: Routledge Warnock, M, 2009, Children with special needs: the Warnock Report. British Medical journal, 2009, 1, 667-66. Read More